Arid Lands Newsletter No. 15 (November 1981)

Item Type text; Newsletter

Authors University of Arizona. Office of Arid Lands Studies.

Publisher Office of Arid Lands Studies, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)

Download date 24/09/2021 14:28:08

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/227876 November 1981 ALIC LIBRARY COPY No. 15 ARID LANDS NEWSLETTER

Office of Arid Lands Studies University of Arizona, Tucson The short -run economics of conserving arid land resources appear to be almost always unfavorable. When commodity prices are high relative to the farmer's or rancher's operating costs, the return on a production - enhancing investment is invariably greater than the return on a conser- vation investment. And when commodity prices are relatively low, arid land ranchers and farmers often have to use all their available financial resources to stay solvent. Economic survival, not conservation, is their prime concern. For the subsistence rancher or farmer, of course, survival is a permanent preoccupation. Efforts to combat desertification that do not take these economic realities into account will either flounder politically or will cause considerable human hardship.

-David Sheridan Desertificationofthe United States Council on Environmental Quality, 1981, p. 122

COVER: Without air conditioning, swamp coolers, or even electric fans, early Arizona dwellers found simple `passive' ways to keep cool in the smoking -hot summers. Here is one example of an early 1900s Tucson house showing the porch effect created by deep overhang of roof, plus slatted railing to allow for breeze -photo by Helen J. Kessler ARID LANDS NEWSLETTER No. 15 November 1981

Traditional Low Desert -Shelter Design in the American Southwest Helen J. Kessler and John F. Peck 2

Environmental Protection of the Arid Zone of the Azerbaijan SSR H. A. Aliev 8

Buffalo Gourd for Breakfast, Anyone? 14

The Boyko Research Center 15

Editorially speaking: Play It Again, Sam 17

Meetings 18

? ?? Have You Seen ? ?9 19

Update on Reforestation in Ecuador 22

International Arid Lands Visitors to UA /OALS 23

Deforestation/ Afforestation in Sudan 24

Another ALN Special Issue Upcoming 24

Published by: The University of Arizona Office of Arid Lands Studies 845 North Park Avenue Tucson, Arizona 85719, USA

Editor: Patricia Paylore

Distributed worldwide without charge. Address correspondence relating to contents, or requests for future mailing, to the Editor. Fig. 1: Ramada, Papago Reservation, San Xavier Mission background.

Fig. 2: Early example of porch effect created by' deep overhang.

2 TRADITIONAL LOW DESERT -SHELTER DESIGN IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST

Helen J. Kessler* John F. Peck*

INTRODUCTION In addition to building such pit houses, Pueblo and Salado peoples of the desert southwest also constructed `Our building history is a history of solar architecture' walls entirely of mud. Instead of using blocks, which were (Stein, 1977, p. 23). For many years people lived in the hot arid regions of not introduced until the Spaniards arrived in the 17th the American Southwest without benefit of either me- Century, they used a building technique referred to as pise or rammed earth, by which a form of interwoven chanical heating or cooling, building their homes instead from local materials which enabled them to cope with twigs was built, into which mud was puddled to construct the walls. After the mud had dried, the form was moved climatic extremes. Even though they may not have been as comfortable as we are today, there are nevertheless so that another course could be laid (Nabokov), 1981, many cooling concepts to be learned from the early p. 7). The great Casa Grande (a deliberate redundancy!) near present -day Coolidge, Arizona, was built using this settlers. method. Because the walls needed to be very thick, as much as five feet thick at the bottom for multistoreyed Indian Settlements structures and compound walls, they provided a great Some of the earliest known dwellings in southern deal of thermal mass, thus stabilizing the internal tem- Arizona were the pit houses constructed by the Hohokam peratures. The flat roofs were built in a manner similar to Indians, built partially below ground level to take those of the pit houses. advantage of the stable earth temperatures and to These mud structures had small doors and either very provide a place for cool air to settle (the thermal diode small or no windows. By keeping openings to a mini- effect). Above the pit, a structure was built made with mum, the building's temperatures would remain quite mesquite or cottonwood rafters supported by crotched stable, although ventilation was probably nonexistent, posts. Twigs and reeds laid on the roof were also used to perhaps at that time a minor consideration since people form the walls of the structure, both roof and walls then spent much of their time out of doors, working under being covered with mud to provide some degree of ramadas during the day, sleeping on their flat roofs at insulation (Sobin, 1977, p. 97). This method of con- night. struction called jacal continued to be used even after the Indians began building homes with entirely mud walls. Hispanic Influence The jacal became the cooking area for families without a It was the Spaniards who brought with them into the wish to build a kitchen inside (West, 1974, p. 117). Smoke escaped through the porous roof, and the main house Southwest U.S. the concept of forming mud into adobe bricks for use as walls. Generally built with two withes of stayed cooler in summer. 9 "x 18 "x4" blocks, this method produced a 19 " -20" thick A version of the pit house orjacal can still be seen in the exterior wall, including mud plaster on both sides. Roofs ramada, built as an adjunct to the high mass adobe homes of the present day Pima and Papago Indians. Since were also mud, built as the Indians had before them. ramadas were usually not attached to the main adobe While rooms were small, their size was determined by the building, breezes could blow from any direction to cool length of round logs (vigas) available. A variety of residential floor plans were used, based on its inhabitants for increased summer comfort (Fig. 1). a square module. While some buildings had only one, Sometimes these Indians built two mud structures close others had a series of modules, often built in stages. Plan together, covering the area between with a lightweight forms included two or three in a line, or U- shaped, or a roof to form a breezeway. On the Papago Reservation four square shape, or the zaguan (or central hall) (Sobin, near Tucson, this device is still employed and furnishes a op. cit, p. 102). A module might have both a door and a relatively comfortable place to sit on the warmest sum- window on opposite sides. When several were attached in mer days. a row, windows between modules were left in place to

* Project Designer and Project Engineer respectively, Environmental Research Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson.All photos by Helen J. Kessler.

3 allow for better ventilation. Because windows were so adobe buildings. The new roof both protected the mud small, however, and houses were not often built in the roofs (on existing houses) and provided extra air space direction of the prevailing breezes (southeast -northwest which could be vented in summer. Because they were of in Tucson, for instance), ventilation probably was not lower mass than the mud roofs, however, they probably very effective. allowed for an increase in the temperature swings of A plan which provided for better ventilation was the homes built only with wood frames. zaguan with its large (often 8 -10 foot wide) central Porches were often installed on one or more sides of hallway. Two adjacent rooms were built off each side of the building. Not only did the porch provide a protected the hall, with transoms installed above the doors from the low mass area for occupants, but it protected the walls hall into each room. Depending on whether the building from the hot summer sun (Fig. 2, and cover). The earliest was adjacent to another building, each room had one or porches were left open, but in the early 1900s screened two windows. By opening doors on either end of the porches became more common. Porches and balconies zaguan (often there were operable windows adjacent to on multistoreyed buildings were popular places to sleep doors which could be opened), breezes could ventilate because they were much cooler than the interior of the both the hall (which was often used as a living area) and high mass rooms which continued to heat up in the the rooms as well. In effect, the hall thus became a evening after a day of sun. Examples of sleeping porches breezeway to help cool the high mass adobe structure at and balconies may still be seen on old hotels which night. typically had entrances to the balcony from each room. As an example, Julio and Judy Bernal granted Kessler Figure 3 shows a roof porch, open on four sides, on a an interview in July 1981 to discuss a building located in large Tucson house, probably built in the early 1900s, Tucson's Barrio Historico which they are currently which may well have been the coolest place to be for restó,ing. It appears to have started out as one or two much of the day. This particular house also had a square modules, with later owners adding a central hall basement, fairly common for the period, to take ad- and two more rooms to form a zaguan plan. Two reasons vantage of the cool and stable earth temperatures and for doing this might be assumed: provide a refuge from the sun on summer afternoons. the zaguan made for a very elegant home where Other European imports included shutters placed on increased privacy was possible since the hall could the exterior of windows to keep out the sun's heat. be used as circulation space to each room Usually painted a dark green, they had slats mounted on the zaguan plan may have provided greater comfort a stick so that they could be opened to let some light in. than the typical square plan could have done By their location outside the building, they kept out the These adobe homes had ceilings about l2' -14' high, sun's heat before it could enter the window, and the heat making the interior of the rooms an almost perfect cube. absorbed by the shutter itself could be dissipated by Their height provided space for the warmest air to collect, breezes. Inside even, dark green roller shades were often above the occupants' heads. A cloth ceiling or manta was used in the belief that they kept the interior cooler than often used to help prevent `fallout' from the mud roof, as white shades would have done.* well as providing a quasi -attic space that allowed the area Unfortunately, as settlers continued coming west, they to be vented to the outside (Sobin, op. cit., p. 102 -106, brought with them their preferred eastern building styles 114). and materials, not necessarily suitable to the desert The deep reveals of the windows provided some climate. Brick houses, with 8" thick walls and no protection from the sun. To lighten the interiors, then, insulation, simply did not have the thermal capacity of interior walls were painted white or whitewashed to adobe. Wood houses were also built, though not in great reflect light around. Exterior walls were painted light numbers. Windows were larger and there were more of colors, often white, to reflect the summer sun. them, and the large porches which worked so well to shade the adobe buildings often were not included in Anglo Influence plans. An exception, however, the so- called Bungalow When the Anglos first came to the Southwest, they had style common in the early 1900s, did adapt better to the to build with what was at hand, so their homes and shops climate, primarily because of its large roof which pro- were quite similar in plan and form to those of earlier vided shade and formed a porch across the front of the Indians and Hispanic settlers. As soon as dimensioned house (Fig. 4). Screened porches were often added to the lumber became available, however, they began making back of the house as well. modifications to the adobe structures which actually improved their thermal performance, including putting gable or hipped roofs on top of square and rectangular * Chonita Sweeney Burrell, interview with HJK, July 1981.

4 Fig. 3: Tucson house, early 1900s, showing roof porch, open on four sides.

Fig. 4: So- called `bungalow style' house, Tucson, early 1900s, showing large roof to provide shady open porch.

5 Lifestyle Before the luxury of mechanical cooling, it appears that a daily ritual to avoid the summer heat was performed in the American southwest. (Even today there are residents who perform a similar ritual, though not to the same extremes.) Those who lived in thick -walled adobe houses were in the most advantageous position since they could turn to good account the thermal flywheel effect. Each morning as the sun came up, all windows, shutters, and shades were closed. As soon as it became reasonably cool at nights, doors and windows could be opened to take advantage of the cool night breezes to cool down the massive adobe walls. Further cooling could be achieved by hanging wet gunny sacks in windows or doors to gain a measure of evaporative cooling. It was not an unusual sight to see a whole neighbor- hood sleeping outside on cots (privacy was not con- sidered a problem). If a bedroll were put out well before bedtime, it could cool down in advance of use. To escape mosquitoes (common in such areas as Phoenix where there are many open irrigation ditches), tents of mosquito netting were constructed. Other devices included burning of cow chips, or dousing the body with oil of citronella. At least one family is recorded as building a canvas tent -like cover that could be rolled up out of the way except when it rained (Fig. 5). Many oldtimers can still relate humorous stories of how these outdoor sleepers coped with the first sprinkle of those occasional summer chubascos, a real love -hate concept if there ever was one. Those who chose not to sleep ouside at night, often slept on screened porches, while those who wanted more privacy used roll -down or canvas shades on double- (or sometimes triple- ) hung sash. Floors of the oldest adobes were dirt, which actually provided another cooling opportunity. One long -time Tucson resident described the nicest room in her family's Fig. 5: For sleeping out, one early house - the back kitchen with its dirt floor which they (1913) Tucson family constructed would wet down in the morning. The floor was then this tent -like bed covering for swept and covered with a mat. The evaporatively- cooled rainy nights (above). Below: Re- mass apparently stayed cool most of the day. Patios were moved on clear nights. also wetted down for cooling. -drawing made from photo When the heat became unbearable, which many often at Arizona Historical thought it always did, the more fortunate ones would Society, Tucson head for cooler locations - the ocean or the mountains. Stories ae told of families with means sending `mothers and children' to cooler places, leaving `summer bachelors' In general, life took place out of doors much more than at home in the city to `work or play' (Fireman, 1973). This it does today. Even during some daylight hours, people was often quite a disruption of family life, though it sat outside under trees or ramadas, and one important provided lucrative business opportunities for the enter- part of life, still followed in Mexico, Spain, and the prising. A more modest escape from the Phoenix heat Middle East, was the siesta during which people napped was to a campground, built by the City, about thirty miles after lunch during the hottest part of the day, and went north of Phoenix called Horsethief Basin. back to work in the late afternoon.

6 LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM THE PAST Mechanical cooling - air conditioners or evaporative The basic passive sources of coolth - evaporation, coolers - certainly has brought increased comfort to the ventilation, earth contact, and night sky cooling - were human species dwelling herein, and concomitantly, it has all used by the Indians and the early European settlers. As brought increased numbers of people to the hot desert energy becomes more expensive, we need to develop a regions of the American southwest. With the energy better understanding of those concepts. We are not situation now confronting us, however, we still have a assuming that mechanical cooling is not needed to great opportunity to learn from the early settlers how to maintain our modern concepts of comfort, only that less be more comfortable while using less energy than we do of it is needed if we only build our houses right. We need today. to put in perspective the increased availability and One of the keys may be our willingness to be more sophistication of materials which can be used to increase flexible about where to spend our time during the day. comfort in hot dry climates. We may not want to sleep outside on our front Besides, as an ace in the hole, there is the extra bonus of lawns, but we could build private roof porches and knowing that a house built to be comfortable during a hot roof decks on our homes for a place to spend cool dry summer will usually be easier to heat in the winter! evenings Like the early settlers with their cots, we could use ACKNOWLEDGMENTS lightweight furniture, to move from one living space to another as comfort dictates. Furniture We wish to acknowledge the research help of a number which allows one's skin maximum contact with the of people, including Cynthia Tancer and Ann Barr, as ambient air is ideal well as a number of Tucson residents who shared with us During the day the interior of a high mass building, their experiences in living in a desert climate. similar to the adobes, will probably be most Our special thanks to the American Section /Intern- comfortable, especially when combined with mod- ational Solar Energy Society, Inc., 205B McDowell Hall, ern techniques for insulating the outside of the University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19711, for per- walls. Good ventilation is important to allow the mission to print this edited version of a talk given at the massive walls to be cooled down at night international Passive and Hybrid Cooling Conference, Painting buildings light colors and shading them, Miami, Florida, November 1981, and published in its especially windows, is very important. We may not Proceedings by the AS /ISES. want to use the small windows of the early settlers, but we still need to control the radiant heat coming through them

REFERENCES

Fireman, Bert M. (1973)Urbanization and home corn - Additional References (not cited): fort. Tucson Citizen, April. Fitch, James M. / Branch, Daniel P. (1960)Primitive Nabokov, Peter (1981)Adobe: Pueblo and Hispanic architecture and climate. Scientific American 203 folk traditions of the Southwest. Smithsonian Insti- (6): 134 -144. tution, Washington, D.C. Hoover, Jonas W. (1935)House and village types of the Noyes, William R., ed. (1973)Project Progress: Prog- southwest as conditioned by aridity. Scientific ress and history in Arizona. University of Arizona, Monthly 40:237 -249. Tucson. Unpublished. Rapoport, Amos (1969)House form and culture. Sobin, Harris, J., ed. (1977)Florence townsite, A.T. Prentice -Hall, Engelwood Cliffs, New Jersey. Industrial Development Authority, Florence, Ari- Stewart, Janet Ann (1974)Arizona ranch houses: zona. 359 p. Southern territorial styles, 1867 -1900. Arizona His- Stein, Richard G. (1977)Architecture and energy. torical Society, Tucson. 121 p. (Historical mono- Anchor Press, N.Y. 322 p. graph, 2). West, Robert C. (1974)The flat- roofed folk dwelling in rural Mexico. Geoscience and Man 5:117.

7 - Cartography by Billie Jo Lobley

8 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF THE ARID ZONE OF THE AZERBAIJAN SSR THROUGH RATIONAL UTILIZATION OF LAND AND WATER RESOURCES

by H.A. Aliev* INTRODUCTION The Azerbaijan SSR, the most eastern republic in ering plants and as many as 4,100 species of trees and Transcaucasus, is situated on the slopes of the Major and bushes. Here too a number of relic species of flora rarely Minor Caucasus, Talysh Mountains, and intermontane encountered elsewhere in the world are preserved and valleys, at the junction of Europe and Asia, geographi- protected. Tertiary flora of the Girkan forest, for in- cally speaking. Since cold northern air currents and stance, includes such species as Parrotia persica, Zelkova warm southern Iranian currents meet in the Caucasus, hyrcana A. Grossh., Quercus castaneaefolia, Albizzia the desert climate of Middle Asia and the more moderate - julibris., and others. Elsewhere, in the arid zone such as humid climate of the Black Sea combine to exert a Jeiranchöl, the Eldar pine, only one of a kind, is definite influence on the formation of landscape and its preserved, as well as pistachio, juniper, ephedra, and ecological conditions (Fig. 1). others. In the forests of areas with a temperate climate The vertical zonality of landscape causes a diversity of can be found relic species of coniferous yew trees, one of microclimate, brightly expressed throughout Azerbai- the largest examples being of an age of 2,500 years. jan's territory, where altitudes range from -28 to 4,466m The fauna, too, of Azerbaijan Republic, is rich and above sea level (Fig. 2) and so provide climatic conditions varied, numbering 98 species of mammals (among them from cold- tundra to subtropic, to dry savanna, to arid Caucasian deer, auroches, chamois, roe, mufflon, ga- sandy deserts, to semideserts. A rich flora and fauna zelle, etc.), some 350 kinds of birds, 90 species of fish, and characterizes these tiers, including 6,000 species of flow- many reptiles.

Fig. 1: Typical arid foothills of the Transcaucasus.

* Academician, Institute of Geography, Azerbaijan SSR Academy of Sciences, Baku.

9 Fig. 2: Baku, capital of Azerbaijan SSR, on the Caspian Sea. The Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences is located on Baku. -photo by M. Baranauskas, courtesy Embassy of the USSR, Washington, D.C. CONSERVATION EFFORTS

Following World War I, several reserves were created area, was enlarged to create a research and cultural/ in the Soviet Union for the protection of rare types of educational organization that continues to keep safe all flora and fauna. In Azerbaijan, Kyzylagach State Res- its natural components. Now, in the latter years of the ervation was founded in 1929 to preserve a waterfowl twentieth century, the central government takes seriously habitat on the Caspian Sea where millions of birds winter its obligation for the conservation of the environment annually, and during the same year Zakataly State and the rational use of its natural resources, an obligation Reservation* in the extreme northwestern part of the characterized by strong exploitation (in the best sense!) Republic, occupying the southern macroslope of the of those natural resources concurrently with intensive central portion of the Major Caucasus, was organized. In technical and industrial development. 1951, its mandate, to protect the flora and fauna of the

* For detailed information on this particular reserve, see The Zakataly State Reservation, issued (1974) by the State Committee of the Council of Ministers, Azerbaijan SSR on the protection by the Nature [47 p.]. Illus., maps. In Russian and English.

10 As early as 1950, for instance, the Commission on Conservation of Nature was organized by the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, followed fifteen years later by establishment of a State Committee on Conservation, and by the Society on Conservation of Nature. At the present time, Azerbaijan's problems of nature conser- vancy are handled by this three -pronged effort: Scientific research institutes work out problems of land, water, and climatic resource investigations, present recommendations on their protection and rational use State Committee controls the purity of the en- vironment The Society on Conservation of Nature carries out dissemination of information among the general population, particularly school children and youth organizations; organizes lectures and reports for radio -television and publication; organizes exhibi- tions and excursions; and exercises control over lawbreakers in the conservancy The latter also makes suggestions, based on scientific reports, to the Government on the organization of the Reservation, as well as providing statistical data and recommendations for projects that would forward the basic conservation ethnic. During the period of the last twenty years, eight new reserves have been organized so that at present there are ten state reserves with a total area of 165,000 ha, all biosperhic where scientific investigations according to IBP conventions are taking place. In addition, there are fifteen areas where regeneration of ecosystems is being attempted but where limited hunting is allowed sea- sonally, and only with special licenses. Because of its location at the crossroads, as it were, of Fig. 3: Ancient plane tree, genius Platanus, commonly many historic cultures, Azerbaijan is rich in natural called sycamore, or buttonwood. monuments to the passage of time and peoples: relict trees (Fig. 3), animal burial sites as old as 14,000 -15,000 years, rock drawings of ancient man, etc., all of which are protected by law.

Arid UTILIZATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES Thermal resources of the arid zone are quite high, water resources limited. Annual average precipitation is The main wealth of the Republic resides in its land, within 250 -320 mm, falling to 110 -220 mm at the eastern water, and thermal resources which supply Azerbaijan's edge of the Republic, largely autumn -winter rainfall. population of over five million with food as well as the During the growing period of vegetation in this area, raw materials for industry. Even so, according to some atmospheric precipitation does not exceed from 10 -20 estimates, land resources are not fully utilized. Of a total percent of the annual amount, and during this period land area of 8.6 million has over 30 percent is arid, 34 evaporation from the soil surface is 1000 -1100 mm. In percent semiarid, 29 percent moderate -humid, and only this zone, cotton, along with other suitable crops, is 3.3 percent humid -subtropic. grown under irrigation.

11 Semiarid atmospheric precipitation from 500 -1200 mm. As would The semiarid zone lies generally in an area from 20- be expected, soil surface evaporation is less than atmos- 1500 m above sea level where the thermal regime is also pheric precipitation due to high air humidity. The quite high, as in the arid zone; annual temperatures mountain forests of this area of the Republic are the average from 10° -12° to 14° ; atmospheric precipitation source of Azerjaiban's rivers. from 350 -600 mm, evaporation from 700 -1100 mm. Semiarid crops include some cereals, vineyards, and Humid- Subtropic fruit, largely under irrigation, as in the arid zone. In the humid -subtropic area, where mountain foothills broaden out into valleys, there is a variety of agricultural Moderate -Humid activity, including silkworm breeding, fruit growing, In characterizing this zone, it should be noted that 50 tobacco, maize, tea (Fig. 4), and vegetables. Despite high percent is covered with mountainous forests, where water thermal resources in this area, and atmospheric precipi- preservation and soil protection have great significance tation averaging 1400 -1600 mm annually, summer irri- not only locally but especially for the effects on the arid- gation is necessary, particularly for the vegetable and tea semiarid areas below. For these purposes, timber cutting plantations. is quite limited, and reforestation projects are constantly In sum, therefore, we can see that the Republic's entire underway. Annual temperatures average from 0° -12° , agricultural program is irrigation- based.

Fig. 4: Tea plantation on a collective farm. -photo courtesy Embassy of the USSR, Washington, D.C.

12 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES many as 4,500 -5,000 in the whole reserve. In the Mino. EMPLOYED IN ALL ZONES Caucasus, the number of deer has also increased (Fig. 5). Even reptiles are protected in Turianchai State Chemical Pesticides Reserve. Industrial wastes have contributed to water pollution and increased mineralization of irrigation water. Ac- cordingly Azerbaijan scientists have proposed to the governments of all the Transcaucasian Republics that no further construction of any facilities that would pollute THE WHOLE PICTURE any sources of fresh water be permitted. The widespread use of chemical pesticides throughout agricultural areas As elsewhere in the arid world, the real issues in the arid have generated much concern, not only for their effects zones of Azerbaijan are rational use of water resources on water supplies but on useful fauna of the area, and selection of plants for cultivation under these including natural enemies of agricultural pests. The limitations. By taking into account the great number of Academy's Institute of Zoology, together with the So- warm days during a year, we have recommended species ciety on Conservation of Nature have applied their of winter fodder, harvesting for silage in late summer, energies and resources to identifying several types of sowing of vetch in early autumn to provide green forage natural enemies of such pests, are now breeding them, for vitamin / albumen for dairy and younger cattle during and sending them to collective and state farms for release. winter calving. In Azerbaijan, especially in the arid and semiarid Faunal Conservation zones, there are areas in the foothills and midland slopes The twentieth century has for the most part seen a where artificial irrigation is not possible. Here we have tragically measurable decline in the number of mammals instituted terracing where, due to the accumulation of and birds worldwide, and Azerjaiban is no exception. winter moisture, vineyards thrive and more conventional Much of this may be due to the development of new lands arid crops such as almond, pistachio, eldar pine, juniper, for settlements and agriculture. In Azerjaiban, for in- and others are cultivated, with good results. stance, the number of jeirans declined after 1930, so that All measures that contribute to intensification of by 1963 there were only 150 accounted for. In recognition agriculture, gradual development of arid areas, appli- of this trend, Academy scientists raised questions relating cation of vegetational methods to prevent soil erosion in to a state reserve in the arid zone of eastern Shirvan, highlands, amelioration and regeneration of salinized including recommendations that hunting be prohibited, lands, and the discontinuance of chemical pesticides in to the end that such an area was established to provide favor of biological methods, are being successfully pur- opportunity for regeneration of all aspects of its en- sued through the three -pronged approach of Azerbai- vironment. Measures taken subsequently now show an jan's scientific community in collaboration with gov- increase of jeirans to 700 -800 in the protected area, and as ernment and public education.

Fig. 5: Deer in Minor Caucasus.

13 BUFFALO GOURD FOR BREAKFAST, ANYONE?

Since we first published the article on Cucurbita above: William Bemis, James Berry, and Charles foetidissima (Arid Lands Newsletter No. 8, June 1978, Weber], and the local press, to sample his version of a p.1 -7), research has gone forward at the University of porridge concocted from Buffalo Gourd seeds, one batch Arizona in possible uses for the products of this versatile with raw seeds, the other with toasted. plant, including an interesting student project under- Here is Corrin, right, serving a portion to Yassin El- taken by a graduating senior named John Corrin who Hassan, a student from the Sudan who is recording his invited a test panel of twelve North African students, evaluation of its palatibility. Far left is Daniel Djelardje, Corrin's professors [the authors of the article mentioned a government official from Chad.

-photo by James Davis, reprinted by permission of Arizona Daily Star.

A consensus was reached that it was bland but edible. undertook the porridge project into such aspects as the A little seasoning, it was agreed, would brighten the taste. Sahel's nutritional needs, common foods of the area, and It was also agreed that the roasted seed sample was much local cooking methods convinced him that it was worth preferred over the raw. Corrin himself is convinced that the experiment. such a food crop as this cucurbit would help diversify Good try, and good luck! agriculture in the Sahel, and his investigations before he

14 THE BOYKO RESEARCH CENTER

On September 3, 1981, the Boyko Research Center honoring the late Hugo Boyko (d. 1970), was inaugurated at Beer -Sheva, Israel, as a component of the Ben -Gurion University of the Negev, its Research and Development Authority, and the Institute for Applied Research. Boyko's widow, Elizabeth, who shared her husband's interest in saline irrigation and water purification interests, hopes that the new Research Center will continue and promote their work on a worldwide basis. Here are some representative publications that illustrate those interests:

Boyko, H.1931 Ein beitrag zur oekologie von Cynodon activity including Hebrew University, the Agricultural Re- dactylon Pers und Astralagus exscapus L. Akademie der search Station of the Jewish Agency in Rehovot, and the Wissenschaften, Wien, Mathematisch- Naturwissenschaf - government. BA 25 (2) 3799. ten Klasse, Sitzungsberichte, ser. 1, 140 (9/ 10). The groundwater relations of many plant species and plant 1949aOn the climax- vegetation of the Negev with communities of the salt- and sand -steppes east of the Neusiedler special reference to arid pasture -problems. Palestine Lake are presented by maps and graphs. Journal of Botany, Rehovot Series 7 (1/ 2):17 -35. Discusses both semiarid and arid communities. Genuine desert 1934Die vegetationsverhaeltnisse in seewinkel. vegetation is characterized by Haloxylon salicornicum. Severe Versuch einer pflanzen -soziologischen monographie des overgrazing during many centuries accounts for the current sand- und salzteppengebietes oestlich vom Neusiedler dominance of the most abundant species in southern Israel. See, II. Botanisches Zentrallblatt, Beihefte, ser. 2, 51:600- Attempts to set up a biological sacle of degrees of aridity by 747. plant indicators. Pasture problems are dealt with from various Contains a detailed description of ecological conditions and points of view and problems of rehabilitation of half- desert their relation to the plant communities and their succession for areas are discussed. BA 25 (9) 26398. this region. 1949bOn climatic extremes as decisive factors for plant distribution. Palestine Journal of Botany, Rehovot 1946Plant sociological map of 1:50,000 of the Series. 7:41 -52. catchment areas between Atlit and Zichron Ja'acov Discusses the fluctuations of annual plant populations due to (Central and west Carmel). Ministry of Agriculture, variations of precipitation. The intensity and frequency of Jerusalem, Department of Ecology. extreme climatic factors was found to be important in the interpretation of fluctuations in plant populations. BA 25 (9) 1946 -1947Checklist of woody plants in Palestine. 26399. Imperial Forestry Bureau, Oxford. 65 p. A complete compilation of all woody species (described up to 1951 On regeneration problems of the vegetation in 1946) of the region now comprising Israel, Jordan, and the arid zones. International Union of Biological Sciences, Gaza Strip. It includes also those few nonwoody species (such ser. B, Colloquia 9:62 -80. as the annuals Centaurea hyalolepis and Centaurea calcitrapa) Describes new methods for obtaining plant indicators for occurring in masses as ruderals and used as fuel by the Arabs determining climatic factors. and Bedouin, thus diminishing the danger of eradication of the woody plants. 1952Ecological land use map of the central and southern Negev. Ministry of Agriculture, Jerusalem, 1947aOn the role of plants as quantitative climate Department of Ecology. indicators and the geo- ecological law of distribution. Journal of Ecology 35 (1- 2):138 -157. 1953Ecological solutions of some hydrological and The decisive influence of the IE- factor (Insolation- Exposure) is hydroengineering problems. In Proceedings of Ankara discussed on the basis of plantsociological records in the Judean Symposium on arid zone hydrology. Unesco, Paris. Arid desert and of microclimatic measurements. The results are used Zone Programme 2:247 -254. as proofs of the "Geo- ecological Law" of plant distribution. Outlines for ingenious methods that may be used to indicate This natural law reads inits shortened version: "Micro - climatic conditions, and discusses indicators of depth of water distribution of plants is a parallel function of their Macro - and of water table lowering. Includes information of value to distribution, determined by the same ecological amplitudes." both ecologists and hydrologists.

19466Science and erosion problems in the Middle East. 1954 A new plant -geographical subdivision of Middle East Society, Journal 1 (3):82 -101. Israel (as an example for Southwest Asia). Vegetatio: New ecological methods of studying and measuring erosion in Acta Geobotanica 5- 6:309 -318. the semiarid and arid areas of the Middle East as well as Israel and Southwest Asia are discussed as including parts of counteractions against its dangers are discussed. five principal plant -geographical belts, including the desert belt as one of the five. The desert belt itself is subdivided into the Boyko, H. 1948Postwar situation of plantsociological re- Central Asiatic or Turanian desert -region, characterized by search in Palestine. Vegetatio 1 (1):74 -75. Haloxylon persicum (Saxaul), and the Sahara -Sindic desert - A very brief review of phytosociological research in postwar region, characterized by the more thermophilous Haloxylon Palestine, which names the principal researchers and centers of salicornicum, both overlapping in Israel.

15 1955aClimatic, ecoclimatic, and hydrological in- (ed.) 1968Saline irrigation for agriculture and fluence on vegetation. In Plant ecology, proceedings of forestry. Proceedings of an International Symposium on the Montpellier symposium. Unesco, Paris. Arid Zone Plantgrowing with highly saline or sea -water, with and Research 5:41 -48. without desalination. Rome, 1965. W. Junk, The Hague. 328 p. (World Academy of Art and Science, Publication 1955b Iran, Israel and Turkey. In Plant ecology, 4) reviews of research. Unesco, Paris. Arid Zone Research 6:40 -76. Boyko, H. and E. Boyko. 1957 A climate map of the Sinai A general discussion of the vegetation of Iran, Israel, and Peninsula as example of ecological climatography. In- Turkey, with an almost complete bibliography for the countries ternational Journal of Bioclimatology and Biometerol- up to 1952. Attached in a folder is also a schematic geobotanical ogy I (2) A. 3 p. 6 figs. map showing the pattern of vegetation in Southwest Asia. This map has been drawn by the new method of ecological climatography, as an example for other regions. In view of the 1962Old and new principles of phytobiological lack of reliable meteorological data, plant- sociological records climate classification. Biometerology 1:113 -127. and other ecological studies rendered the basic data for it. After an historical review on the climatic concept since ancient Graphs explaining the methods are presented in the text times, a climatic classification is aimed at by biological accompanying the map. yardsticks. Thus in the Negev we can find a region with an Artemisia herba -alba climate, another with a Zygophyllum Boyko, H. and E. Boyko. 1964Principles and experiments dumosum climate, and, in its southernmost part, one with a regarding direct irrigation with highly saline and sea Haloxylon salicornicum climate, all very distinctively different water without desalination. New York Academy of from one another. Sciences, Transactions, ser. 2, 26:1087 -1102. Boyko, H. (ed) 1966aSalinity and aridity, new approaches to Boyko, H., E. Boyko, and D. Tsuriel 1957Ecology of sand old problems. W. Junk, The Hague, 408 p. (Monog- dunes. Final Report to the Ford Foundation, Subproject raphiae Biologicae 16) C-le:353-399. Apart from numerous descriptions and ecological discussions A study of dune vegetation and of the ecology of many single of very different arid and /or saline areas the book presents a dune species (root systems, evapotranspiration figures, etc.). great number of new principles and methods of how to Pasture productivize the sandy and salty deserts of our globe. Boyko's Boyko, H., D. Bugoslav, and N. Tadmor. 1957 own extensive contributions and those of the other contribu- research (in the Negev). Final Report to the Ford tors, particularly those of Raheja and Meijering, are also very Foundation, Subproject C- ld:295 -356. rich in bibliographical information. Altogether 646 books and A description of the desert and semidesert range in the central papers are referred to and with a few overlappings only, all part of the Negev, with experiments to raise its grazing value. dealings with deserts or aridity and salinity problems re- Boyko, H. and N. Tadmor. 1954 An arid ecotype of Dactylis spectively. glomerata L. (Orchard grass) found in the Negev (Israel). Research Council of Israel, Bulletin 4 (3):241 -248. Boyko, H. 1966bBasic ecological principles of plant growing by irrigation with highly saline or sea water. p. 131 -200. Orchard grass, which normally grows in more humid areas, was In H. Boyko, ed., Salinity and aridity, new approaches to found in the central Negev in a region of about 150 mm of old problems. W. Junk, The Hague. 408 p. (Monog- rainfall. Additional runoff water was estimated to make the site raphiae Biologicae 16) comparable to one with 250 to 300 mm of rainfall. Even so, the A very thorough review of literature and the experiments of the orchard grass specimens were thought to belong to a very author on the ecology of plants as related to high salinity in drought- resistant ecotype. which he discusses the following 15 principles:1) Quick Boyko. E. 1952The building of a desert garden. Royal Percolation, 2) Good Aeration, 3) Easy Solution, 4) Lack of Horticultural Society, Journal 76:1 -8. Sodium Adsorption, 5) General Rules, 6) Partial Root Contact, The paper describes the successful development of an experi- 7) The Viscosity Theory, 8) Subterranean Dew, 9) Biological mental garden in Eilat in an absolute desert (rainfall less than Desalination, 10) Adaptability to Fluctuating Osmotic Pres- one inch). Irrigation water used had a fluctuating total salt sure,11) The Balance of Ionic Environment, 12) Raised content from 2000 -600 p.p.m., mainly sulphates. About 200 Vitality, 13) Microbiological Influences, 14) Global Salt Circu- different species were successfully planted lation, 15) The Basic Law of University Balance.

QUOTE

How fair the desert seems to those who hate the meaness of mankind! Menander: Hydria [Fragment] (Greek playwright, ca. 321 B.C.)

16 Editorially speaking: PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM

".. . Concern over the availability and management of planet Earth's natural resources has become a worldwide theme as we begin the countdown toward the twenty -first century. An increased awareness is evident on all levels - local, national, international - that the world's natural resource base is both finite and limited, and, in the absence of proper stewardship, susceptible to rapid depletion. From this environmental concern has evolved the global attention now being given those areas where narrowly- conceived development projects have wasted and exhausted the resource, preempted better use of the land, and created serious secondary environmental problems, the costs of which may diminish or actually outweigh anticipated benefits over the long term." -Arid Lands Newsletter, no. 1, March 1975

".. . What can a man doin a thousand days? Can he change the world? Change a village? Change himself? How much time does a man have to do what he is uniquely equipped to do? A lifetime? Tomorrow? A thousand days? "These thoughts are present because time seems shorter and shorter as the Earth spins on its axis faster and faster, abstractly speaking. This concept of acceleration perceived or imagined, creates restless scientists, impatient planners and legislators, and dissatisfied citizens - in Arizona or in Mali. The great international organizations talk their way through countless agendas, meetings, conferences, committees. The university teams visit, inspect, make notes, write reports, recommend further studies. The information specialists compile, index, store, retrieve, disseminate. And the people? they work, go their appointed rounds, living numbly in a vacuum, waiting, waiting for something to happen. In places, some things are happening: drought, starvation, decimation of herds, failure of crops - and beyond: revolution and anarchy." -Arid Lands Newsletter, no. 2, July 1975

".. . Historically, man has been ambivalent in his relationships with animals. He has worshipped them, feared them, domesticated them, used and abused them, and now he is in a fair way to exterminating them.. ..Will the technological cruelty that we have cleverly invented protect any of us from the extinction that we have brought about for our fellow creatures? When the deserts' wildlife is gone - pour le sport, or indeed for food - will the deserts be more useful for man's needs, much less his enjoyment? We think not. "In the twentieth century, our increasing contempt for life, initiated by our overwhelming capacity to destroy life, is bringing closer the day when our world will be despoiled and plundered irrevocably. Today the impala, tomorrow the desert world's wretched humans. What difference? "So we say angrily and bitterly, without apology, viva la cucaracha!" -Arid Lands Newsletter, no. 4, October 1976

66 . . . Wehave a bad reputation for asking questions to which there are seemingly no answers. Why? we keep asking. Why not, we insist? Must we forever submit to the sense of helplessness in the real world, to a sense of being borne along by events, to a sense of being manipulated by mean -spirited leaders reluctant to surrender the privileges of power, to a sense of being enmeshed in events over which we have no control? We think we do not need to submit, and that if we continue to make a tiresome nuisance of ourself by asking embarrassing questions about the wasteland of bureaucracy, the bleak routines of paperwork and `governmentese' - in whatever language, we can indeed force new strategies to turn old mistakes into new successes." -Arid Lands Newsletter, no. 6, October 1977

".. . What are the prevailing attitudes that influence decisions relating to the management of water, in Arizona or in the Sahel? Is it not demonstrably true now that the scientific and technical steps we could be taking to bring our water resources into equilibrium with the demands made upon them are on a collision course with economic and political realities? So? we ask irritably, we must be paralyzed? unable to deal with global problems mutually, to create through such a mechanism of understanding not only the imposition of old tried -and -true means of attacking familiar problems but new flexible responses to a world we did indeed make and one to which we owe restitution? "Certainly the world's water problems might be more readily solved if the urgency to do so could overcome the global investments in missiles, nuclear warheads, tanks, grenades, rifles, stockpiled against imaginary enemies." -Arid Lands Newsletter, no. 9, December 1978 So play it again, Sam, and again. - Patricia Paylore

17 MEETINGS, MEETINGS, MEETINGS

Association for Arid Lands Studies meets in Denver, Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), Symposium Colorado, April 21 -24, 1982. Theme: Energy de- on the study of land transformation processes from velopment impacts on arid western US. Contact: space and ground observations, Ottawa, Canada, Wm. H. Brooks, Office of Arid Lands Studies, May 31 -June 2, 1982. Sponsored by COSPAR, University of Arizona. Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environ- ment (SCOPE), International Astronautical Feder- International Rangeland Congress, 2d, Adelaide, Aus- ation, and UN Environmental Program. Contrib- tralia, May 14 -18, 1982. Pre- and post -congress uted papers solicited that describe the use of space tours through areas of special interest within the and /or ground observations to study regional land Australian rangelands will be arranged. Contact: transformation resulting from human activities P.J. Joss, CSIRO Division of Land Resources such as population redistribution, urbanization/ Management, Private Bag, P.O. Deniliquin, 2710, industrialization, changes in agriculture /forestry/ Australia. grassland management, shifts in the approaches to the natural resource utilization; or natural phe- GISAF Symposium, Hallein, Austria, May 21 -22, 1982. nomena such as changes in climate, wind, or fluvial The program will be devoted to 1) the Sahara processes. Contact: Dr. Robert M. Ragan, Re- neolithic, and 2) nomadism in northern Africa since mote Sensing Systems Laboratory, University of 1950. [GISAF = Gesellschaft f. Interdisziplinaere Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, by Jan. 15, Sahara -Forschung]. Languages: German, English, 1982. French. Papers are invited. Contact: GISAF, P.O. Box 87, A -5400 Hallein, Austria.

However:

THERE'S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO GET TOGETHER

With travel/ per diem costs escalating, it's just possible that it would be less expensive to come together via satellites to talk about our common arid lands problems. Would you be interested in a telecommunications conference during the coming year? Any ideas? With an increased need to share the issues that plague us all, we should be able somehow to develop unique new ways and technologies for communication. If Dan Rather can sit before his television console and talk face -to -face with Tom Fenton in London, why should we not be able to do the same with our counterparts in Ouagadougou, Sde Boger, Iquique, the Karakums, Alice Springs, Dharan, or Lop Nor? Why not? Think about it! and Iet us hear from you.

18 ? ?? HAVE YOU SEEN ? ??

Amin, Sayed Hassan (1981)International and legal The diversity of trees and shrubs is captured in this problems of the Gulf. Menas Press, Ltd., Gallipoli comprehensive volume covering the four desert floristic House, Outwell, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE14 8TN, associations found the U.S. southwest: Mojave Desert, England. US $41.25. ISBN 0 906 6559 05 7. Colorado Desert, Arizona Desert, and Chihuahuan Discusses legal significance of the Gulf as a semi - Desert. Nearly 500 species are identified, including enclosed sea, rights of passage, implications of the Iran - woody vines, borderline bushes, and plants found mostly Iraq conflict, constitutional problems in the Emirates, outside the deserts but known to occur within its edges. A regional arrangements over pollution and fisheries, and detailed explanation of plant structure precedes the the delimitation of the continental shelf. listing so that the reader can readily learn to recognize distinguishing features of many plants. Distribution maps help locate species, and an abundance of line Ayerza, Ricardo (1981)El buffel grass: utilidad y drawings ensures accurate identification. 95 full -color manejo de una promisoria gramínea. Editorial Hemis- plates, 424 photographs and drawings, and 252 maps, ferio Sur S.A., Pasteur 743, Buenos Aires, Argentina. plus a lengthy index of plant names, both common and 139 p. scientific. Cenchrus ciliaris, a perennial grass for subtropical -to- tropical moderate -warm regions with summer rains and a long dry season, can last up to a year without rainfall. It is generally sensitive to frost, although there are a few Berkofsky, L. /Faiman, D. /Gale, J., eds. (1981)Set- resistant varieties being developed. It has good nutri- tling the desert. Institute for Desert Research, Ben - tional values during its vegetative growing period, but Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boger, Israel. these values decrease with ripening. This author believes Gordon and Breach, London /New York. 280 p. $35.00. it is important to keep it short as with all tropical grasses, 0677 16280 4. so as to preserve its nutritional qualities. It is a great Experts from many fields of desert research review the volume and medium quality grass, with protein varying history of desert settlement and agricultue, as well as the from 12 percent during vegetative growth, to 7 percent present problems encountered by modern desert settlers. when in advanced bloom. Dry matter yields may vary, Topics covered include meteorology, sociology, water from 31 tons /ha in Puerto Rico, to 20 /ha in Queensland. resources, solar energy, innovative desert agriculture, Illus., tables, and an extensive bibliography. architecture, and animal science, specifically: Algae produc- tion for biomass in arid zones, closed system agriculture, runoff agriculture, the role of nonreplenishable aquifers in development projects in arid regions, ecology as a tool Baltaxe, R. (1980)The application of LAND SAT data for desert management, economic change among pas- to tropical forest surveys. Food and Agriculture Organi- toral nomads in the Middle East, desert towns as a social zation of the United Nations, Rome, Swedish Funds -in- type, etc. Trust for: TF /INT /333 (Swe). 122 p. Attempts to assess the extent to which Landsat data can be used for the survey of forest areas in the tropics, and to provide basic info. re nature of Landsat data and Beudot, Françoise (1981)Eléments de bibliographie how it can be used so that forestry personnel without sur la sécheresse au Sahel. Mise à jour no. 5, Références experience in its use will be in a position to judge the 2218 -2937. OECD, 94 rue Chardon -Lagache, 75016 appropriateness of the data's application. Includes an Paris, Centre de Développment. 140 p. overview of the Landsat system, feature extraction from This bibliography is a follow -up to the 6 vols. pub- Landsat data, feature identification, examples of appli- lished earlier. The first two inventoried the literature cation of data as well as examples of the use of digital produced immediately after the 1973 disaster, attempting data. to identify its causes and consequences. Since then four successive updates (1977 -1980) have appeared, bringing Benson, Lyman /Darrow, Robert A. (1981)Trees and the total number of citations, including no. 5, to nearly shrubs of the southwestern deserts. Line drawings by 3,000. Information arrangement includes agriculture, Lucretia Breazeale Hamilton. 3d ed., revised and ex- commerce, transport, labor, population, environment, panded. University of Arizona Press, Tucson. 416 p. research, and other categories. Geographic and author ISBN 0- 8165- 0591 -8. $49.50. indexes.

19 Biswas, M.R. /Biswas, A.K. /eds. (1980)Desertification: Describes over 300 plant species adapted to growing in Associated case studies prepared for the United Nations warm arid environments, listed in alphabetical order Conference on Desertification. Pergamon Press, 523 p. according to botanical name. Each listing includes (Environmental Sciences and Applications, 12). $75.00. special design features, uses, disadvantages, and planting A compilation of nine case studies, three from China, and care, as well as details relating to zones such as soil, two from the USSR, and one each from Australia, Iran, sun, water, temperature, and maintenance. Illus. in color, Israel, and the U.S., examining various ways of combat- with many showing a particular plant in a landscape ting the phenomenon, each making the best use of setting. Tabular information on plant selection, annuals, resources most readily available at a particular time and perennials, and problems caused by poor growing con- place, and each supposedly successful. ditions. Glossary of terms. Chao Sung -chiao /Han Chin (1981)Desert lands of China. ICASALS, P.O. Box 4620, Texas Tech Uni- FAO Forestry Department (1979 ?)Forestry for rural versity, Lubbock, Texas 79409. $5.00. communities. FAO, Rome. 56 p. An English translation of a two -part study of the arid Community forestry here is defined as any situation regions of the PRC, covering `The sandy deserts and the where rural people depend upon trees and their products, Gobi, a preliminary study of their origin and evolution,' excluding large -scale industrial and other forms of and `Large -scale agricultural reclamation in the Tarim forestry that contribute to communities solely through Valley and its impact on arid environment.' Maps and employment. It introduces a program being carried out tables are used to illustrate wind forces, rainfall levels, by the FAO and supported by the Swedish International land types, and the composition of some desert surfaces. Development Authority, directed at increasing the con- The Tarim River has been a major source of irrigation tribution of forestry to improving' living conditions of historically, but reclamation has brought about some rural poor in developing countries. It discusses wood as a adverse impacts, including salinization and deserti- vital energy source, village woodlots, and tree farming, fication. Maps compare underground water levels and agrisilviculture, silvipasture, and forest cooperatives, mineralization for 1958 and 1973. (ICASALS Newsletter with briefs of activities in China, Korea, Indonesia, 14 (3):4) Thailand, the Sahel, Sudan, Nigeria, Guatemala, and the Philippines. Doornkamp, J.C. /Gregory, K.J. (1980)Atlas of drought in Britain 1975 -76. Cartographic advisor, A.S. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/ Burn; Foreword by the Rt. Hon. Denis Howell, M.P. United Nations Environment Programme (1980) Institute of British Geographers, 1 Kensington Gore SW7 Global environment monitoring system. Pilot project on 2AR, London. 82 p. ISBN 0 901989 31 2. L27.50. tropical forest cover monitoring. Benin- Cameroon- A truly model scientific exposition of an atmospheric Togo, project implementation, methodology, results, phenomenon common to us in the arid lands but unusual and conclusions. FAO, Rome, UN 32/6. 1102 -75 -005 elsewhere, this atlas is divided into sections covering Project Report No. 4. 99 p. Maps. `expression of the drought,' `impact of the drought,' and Draws on the range of findings in the three countries `dimensions of the drought hazard.' There is also a for a detailed discussion of monitoring procedures and of description of the European context of the drought. a range of topics based on the general experience of the Experts have contributed briefs on such aspects as project, including assessment of Landsat imagery for the rainfall, evaporation and soil moisture deficit, hydro- work undertaken, vegetation classification and ecoflor- logical and geomorphological effects, water balance, and istic zonation, staffing, training, as well as outlining a river discharge. Impacts on agriculture, property dam- statistical sampling procedure for monitoring and an age, water demand /supply, industry and commerce are alternative approach to mapping. Maps for Benin and illustrated, as are the other sections, with detailed maps in Togo at a scale of 1:500,000 and for the southern two - color, charts, tables, plus extensive references. There is an thirds of Cameroon at 1:1 million. explanatory index as well. An introductory section on historical perspective and climatic trends is helpful in putting the event cleanly and distinctly in our line of Keast, Allen, ed. (1981)Ecological biogeography of sight. Australia. 3 vols. Dr. W. Junk BV, Publishers, P.O. Box 13713, 2501 ES, The Hague, The Netherlands. 2182 p., 3 Duffield, M.F. /Jones, W.D. (1981)Plants for dry vols. (Monographiae Biologicae, 41). ISBN 90- 6193 -092- climates: How to select, grow and enjoy. H.P. Books, 8. $495.00. P.O. Box 5367, Tucson, Arizona 85703. ISBN 0- 89586- Covers the development of the Australian environ- 042-2. 176 p. ment, the flora of Australia, the terrestrial invertebrates

20 of Australia, biogeography of inland fresh waters, biogeog- ions, as well as the dimensions of the holding area. raphy of poikilothermic vertebrates and homeothermic Examples are Spirulina and Dunaliella for dried algal vertebrates, and the origins and ecology of aboriginal material to be used as food or as a source of vitamins, man, summed up in a synthesis by the editor. pigments, unsaturated fatty acids, and glycerol. Some photoplankters produce pharmacologically useful prod- ucts such as antibiotics, growth regulators, and others. Mabbutt, J.A. /Berkowicz, S.M., eds. (1980)The threatened drylands; regional and systematic studies of desertification. International Geographical Congress, S¢rensen, B. (1981)Turning to the wind. American 24th, Fujinomiya, Japan, 1980, Working Group on Scientist 69 (5):500 -508. Desertification. Pre -Congress Symposium C19. 153 p. Discusses wind technology, wind -fuel systems, wind - Orders: School of Geography, P.O. Box 1, Kensington, hydro combinations, wind storage systems, and wind NSW 2033, Australia. potential. Points out that immediate development issues This final summation of the Group's work over a are related to the needs of rural communities, where period of nearly a decade includes regional papers by neither large -scale wind nor wind -scale hydropower are world experts on Sudan, southern Africa, the Middle relevant at present, but that small -scale wind- energy East, the USSR, Rajasthan, China and Mexico, as well as converters can play an important role in supplying power subject papers on pastoralism and desertification, inte- for lights, appliances, and food preservation, as well as grated development, monitoring, wind action, and at- for pumping water for household use and for irrigation. mospheric circulation. Chairman Mabbutt prefaces the publication with an overview of the Group's work on the nature of desertification, its extent, climate and deserti- United National Environment Programme. (1981)De- fication, its progress, and our perceptions of the phe- sertification control, no. 4, May 1981. UNEP, Nairobi, nomenon. Kenya. This issue includes articles on the Sudan (James Walls), Chile (Seifulaziz Milas), the Negev (J. Schechter), Matlock, W.G. (1981)Realistic planning for arid lands: Na- Malta (Salvino Busuttil), women of the desert (Enid tural resource limitations to agricultural development. Burke), and news briefs from other countries. Harwood Academic Publishers, P.O. Box 786, Cooper Station, New York, N.Y. 10276. 284 p. $59.50 (Advances in desert and arid land technology and development, 2), 3 7186 0051 X. Walker, A.S. /Robinove, C.J. (1981)Annotated bibli- This book by a well -known international arid land ography of remote sensing methods for monitoring agricultural expert illustrates the concept that the export desertification. U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, of high technology from developed to developing D.C., Circular 851. 25 p. No charge. Apply to 604 S. countries has failed to consider the social, political, and Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304. economic constraints operating in the marginal arid This list covers 118 items, with extensive annotations, lands where agricultural production is so desperately relating to remote sensing methods that may be applied needed. The author appeals for more realistic planning to desertification studies. Such techniques are valuable for agricultural development in view of the limitations of for locating, assessing, and monitoring this phenomenon, natural resources, and offers a new scenario for dealing providing data for a permanent record of the condition of with an arid world confronted with increasing needs the land in a format that allows changes in land features while at the same time is challenged by diminishing and condition to be measured. Both satellite and aerial resources of water, energy, land, and capital. sensing are covered in an arrangement that includes physical, biological, agricultural, and social indicators. The authors' conclusions emphasize that more research is Regan, D.L. (1980)Marine biotechnology and the use needed on the use of data to identify indicators and how of arid zones. Search 11 (11):377 -381. they reflect the processes on the rates of degradation or This CSIRO Division of Chemical Technology -spon- reclamation, on identifying a base for measuring the sored study describes the cultivation of salt -tolerant process, and on data presentation formats. They con- phytoplankton and other microorganisms possible in an clude that the most efficient approach is to use remote arid sunny coastal land such as found in Australia, and sensing methods to detect areas of desertification or areas discusses possible commercial applications. Desired or- where the terrain has changed and to use ground methods ganisms may be cultivated by controlling salinity, to identify the cause of change and the possible remedial temperature, nutrients, and concentration of particular actions.

21 SERIAL /JOURNAL TITLES:

Agricultural Water Management, v. 3, no. 3, March Journal of Arid Environments, v. 4, 1981-Academic 1981-Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., P.O. Box 211, Press, Inc., 24 -28 Oval Road, London NWI 7DX, 1000 AE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. US $66.50. England/ 111 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003. £25.00/ Issue examined included articles on trickle irrigation: US $73.50. emitter clogging and other flow problems; simulation of The arid world is fortunate to have this scholarly water flow in the soil under subsurface trickle irrigation journal dedicated exclusively to its physiological, eco- with water uptake by roots; distribution of water and salt logical, and geographical problems. Edited by the world - in soil under trickle and pot irrigation regimes. renowned zoologist, Dr. J.L. Cloudsley- Thompson, Uni- versity of London, the JAE is the scholarly vehicle by Earth Shelter Digest & Energy Report, no. 13, Jan. /Feb. which we can keep up with scientific trends in this 1981-Webco Publishing, Inc., 479 Fort Road, St. Paul, environment. Not only does it contain a wide -ranging MN, 55102. Published bimonthly. $15.00. array of articles on contemporary issues relating to Although their map location of earth shelters in North aridity, it includes book reviews - honest hard -hitting America shows the greatest concentration in the mid - evaluations and an annual species index, from Abies west, somewhat less in the northeast, the fewest appear in concolor to Zygophyllum simplex and over 600 others in the west and southwest. Nevertheless, in the issue ex- between. Most articles include comprehensive lists of amined there was a lengthy article, illustrated, about references, and there are numerous drawings, maps, `Adobe Mixed with Earth Houses,' location Cerrillos, charts, and illustrations. JAE deserves our support as it New Mexico. continues to tell us about the recovery of soils and vegetation in a Mojave Desert area in Nevada, vegetation Science in China; Science BulletinThese two English and bird community characteristics in an Australian arid language journals, formerly published as Scientia Sinica mountain range, habitat utilization of the dorcas gazelle and Kexue Tongbao respectively, are now offered in a desert saline area, quantification of rainfall and its through Scientific and Technical Book Services, Ltd., utilization effeciency in Rajasthan, or the use of remote P.O. Box 197, London WC2N 4DE, England, each @ US sensing for an integrated inventory of a semiarid area, $180.00 annually, published monthly. Sponsored by the these a sampling only of JAE's wide -ranging coverage of PRC Academy of Science, Beijing. our common problems.

UPDATE ON REFORESTATION IN ECUADOR

Our correspondent Mark R. Flippo, Macará, Prov. Leja, Ecuador, has brought us up -to -date on several projects at various stages of completion that relate to reforestation in Ecuador. While the Eucalyptus saligna seedling plants have had mixed success, due in part to a dry winter, ant damage, transport problems, etc., planning for a small nursery goes forward, with hopes that program options such as the following can be realized: provide a ready source of firewood provide a future source of income for the community through the sale of wood products provide temporary employment for community members during construction of the nursery provide employment and education for young people chosen to work in the nursery in technical positions .. instill a conservation ethnic within the community Experimental plants of 14 exotics in small plantations indicate that several species have promise: Eycalyptus camaldulenis, E. citriodora, E. sideroxylon, and E. tereticornis, as well as Acacia arabica and Prosopis spicegera. ALN readers interested in details are encouraged to write directly to Flippo at the above address.

22 INTERNATIONAL ARID LANDS VISITORS TO UA /OALS

ALGERIA: Reciprocating a spring visit to Algeria as part of a National Science Foundation team which included OALS's William G. McGinnies, representatives of several Agerian institutions visited the University of Arizona and its Office of Arid Lands Studies in early September as part of a plan to create a cooperative program of arid lands research: Dr. Lazhar Fellah, Director, University Center of Research Studies and Application Dr. Ahmed Aidoud, University of Science and Tech- nologies, Research on Terrestrial Biology Dr. Ramou Sadat, Centre de Recherche sur les Energies Nouvelles Dr. Mohammed Khouri, Dirctor, National Institute of Agronomy Mme. Nicole Bounaga, Director, National Center for Arid Zone Research -The Algerian team visits the USDA's Soil Conservation Service Plant Materials Center, near Tucson. From 1. to r.: Mme. Bounaga, Ed Clay (interpreter), Dr. Aidoud, Dr. Sadat (kneedling), Tim Edwards, Dr. ENGLAND: Lawrence Edwards (Program Manager, NSF Division of International Ms. Mary Cherry, Editor, Farming World, BBC/ Programs), and Dr.W.G. McGinnies (OALS). Radio, June 8, 1981, to tape interview with ALN's Editor KENYA: ISRAEL: M. Simeon Kanani, Nairobi, July 2, 1981, to meet Dr. David Wolf, Rector, Ben -Gurion University of with OALS Remote Sensing Unit the Negev, Beer Sheva, July- August, to col- laborate on research with the University of MALI: Arizona's Dr. Donald H. White, Chemical En- The African- American Institute, Washington, gineering D.C., sponsored a month -long trip by representatives Dr. Ran Gerson, Institute of Earth Sciences, from Mali and the Ivory Coast, including a mid -July Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Sept. 18 visit to the University of Arizona and its Office of Arid Dr. Arie S. Issar, Head, Water Resources Unit, Lands Studies: Institute for Desert Research, Sde Boger, Oc- Mme. Traeore Bintou Banba, President, Regional tober 1, 1981 Women's Union, Sikasso Dr. Dov Pasternak, Head, Division of Desert Ag- M. Boubar Bonfing Koite, Cabinet Chief, Ministry riculture, Applied Research Institute, Ben - of Agriculture, Bamako Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, M. Alassane Toure, Director, Project Mali /Live- October 13, 1981 stock II, Bamako

IVORY COAST: SOUTH AFRICA: M. Assa Ayemou, Director of Education and Edu- Keith Pulvermacher, Cape Town, July 1981, re- cational Training, Ministry of Agriculture, turning a visit earlier by OALS Research As- Abidjan, April 20, 1981, whose visit was spon- sistant Leslie Rawles to Pulvermacher's jojoba sored by the African -American Institute [see plantation. On his Tucson visit, he visited vari- Mali, below] ous jojoba experimental plots, and later flew to several commercial jojoba farms in southwest- JAPAN: ern Arizona which are collaborating with the Mr. Lee MacDonald, United Nations University, University of Arizona in irrigation methods, May 14, 1981 laser -leveling of fields, etc.

23 DEFORESTATION /AFFORESTATION IN SUDAN

We promised you in Arid Lands Newsletter No. 13 that provide energy to pump water and generate elec- we would share with you information on other countries tricity, as well as to create shelterbelts to protect soil relating to these associated problems asit became and crops; biomass as a renewable source of energy available to us. Now we are pleased to call your attention and, when rationally planned, as a means of to the Sudan, as reported in Sudan Environment, vol. 1, recycling nutrients to the soil; and finally, promo- no. 3, May 1981. With the permission of Sudan En- tion of a national afforestation program that would vironment's editor, Dr. M.Tag El Seed, we have sum- encourage tree -planting at the household level marized a series of vignettes relating to these issues as a discussion of `Firewood, Charcoal and Defores- they are understood there and the measures taken to tation: What Are The Options ?' pleads for im- devise improvements. For further information, write to provement in the efficiency of traditional stoves Dr. El Seed, P.O. Box 321, Khartoum, Sudan. burning firewood (six percent of the energy in the Guest Editorial calls attention to the fact that wood actually being effectively used and 90 percent `increased dependence on locally available wood totally wasted) fuel with few measures to renew that resource is a description of investigations into technology, doing the country a great deal of harm' undertaken at the village level, to convert uncon- an overview points out that 90 percent of Sudanese solidated plant material [largely aquatic weeds] households use wood as a primary source of energy into fuel briquettes utilizing a design for a compres- (10.65 million tons of firewood consumed in sor that would be technically simple with its 1979/80), `that the frequent coincidence of defor- mechanical parts virtually indestructible and whose estation and desertification is no accident, and that capital cost could be recovered through production of briquettes in less than a year, or `that savings population growth in rural areas.. . leads to the destruction of forests and in some cases to the incurred through ownership of the machine would removal of all trees and scrub cover' be greater than the costs of purchasing alternate a paper on development of alternative sources of fuels; and finally, methods for harvesting the weeds energy includes solar for heating, cooking, and through construction of booms set at an angle to pumping; windmills and wind -driven generators to the current which would deflect the material to the shore.'

ANOTHER ARID LANDS NEWSLETTER SPECIAL ISSUE UPCOMING

The Spring 1982 issue of Arid Lands Newsletter will be a special one on the order of the July 1981 (No. 13) issue, devoted to deforestation /afforestation. The forthcoming issue will focus on: Arid Lands Research in the Field of Bioenergy We are sending out this notice now to encourage all readers of ALN to respond promptly with briefs on activities ongoing in their countries. Wanted are manuscripts from 4 -6 typed pages, with accompanying black- and -white photographs if applicable. Deadline is February 1, 1982. Topics relating to biomass energy, production, and conversion will be addressed, as well as biomass from wastes and residues. If your entry in the International Bio- Energy Directory, 1981, is pertinent, request should be made of its publisher, the Bio- Energy Council, 1625 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 825 -A, Washington, D.C. 20006, U.S.A., for permission to adapt the information therein for this special purpose. In presenting information about your activities, please emphasize the arid lands aspects of your research. Thank you. Patricia Paylore, editor Arid Lands Newsletter

24 ARID LANDS ABSTRACTS

A new monthly abstract journal (January 1980- ) is being published by the University of Arizona, Office of Arid Lands Studies, Arid Lands Information Center, and the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux (CAB) of the United Kingdom. Each issue contains approximately 400 abstracts of recent literature pertinent to arid lands studies, including geography, earth sciences, agriculture, natural resources, energy resource development, and human systems. Detailed author and subject indexes are carried in each issue, with an annual cumulation. Arid Lands Abstracts is available at an annual subscription price of $300.00 US currency. Subscribers to Volume 2 are now eligible for a 40% discount on the price of Volume 1.

By registering a subject profile with the Arid Lands Information Center, interested subscribers may receive monthly batches of pertinent individual abstracts on 3x5 cards, @ I0c per card (minimum order of $20 /yr.).

In addition to the journal and the card service, Arid Lands Abstracts is currently available as a subfile of the CAB file on two bibliographic computer search services in the U.S. (DIALOG and SDC), and on three systems in Europe (DIMDI, ESA, and EURONET). Computer searches can be requested through libraries or information centers with access to any of these systems, or through either of the two publishers of Arid Lands Abstracts. Tapes of the entire file are also available.

Document delivery can be provided for personal use only (to comply with recent U.S. copyright legislation) @ 25c /page.

To send reprints or research papers for inclusion in Arid Lands Abstracts, or for further information please write: Arid Lands Information Center Office of Arid Lands Studies University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85719 USA

For a free sample issue, write to the above, or: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux Central Sales Farnham House, Farnham Royal Slough SL2 3BN England

The University of Arizona is an EEO /AA Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, color, national origin, Vietnam Era veterans' status, or handicapping condition in its admissions, employment and educational programs or activities. Inquiries may be referred to Dr. Jean Kearns, Assistant Vice President, Administration 503, phone 626 -3081.